Education Resources International

Venice, late 19th century.

Lina Gruber aims to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a bigolante-the women who have carried fresh water through the maze of narrow Venetian streets for centuries, their yokes and metal buckets a familiar sight in the city.

Under her cousin Maria’s guidance, Lina learns to master the demands of this arduous job. But when Maria’s beloved friend-another bigolante-is found drowned in the lagoon, unsettling questions arise that may point to her cousin. Lina cannot dismiss the growing suspicions, even as they threaten the fragile sense of belonging she has worked so hard to build.

With the city slowly expanding the aqueduct to provide running water, the future of the bigolanti is uncertain. Major historical events both near and further afield in Italy, along with the dawn of a new century, mirror Lina’s journey as she is caught between tradition and transformation.

The Water Girls illuminates the lives of the forgotten women whose daily labor sustained one of the world’s most celebrated cities. It is a story of how technology reshapes communities, and how a simple act of service and kindness can be easily swept aside by the relentless march of progress.